Alaskan encounter: Only Russian President Putin gained from the meeting

Hopes for an early end to the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine were comprehensively dashed following United States (US) President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Even given the low expectations from this meeting, the result could not have been worse for embattled Ukraine, for the signals it sends to countries with irredentist ambitions, notably China (Taiwan) and the US (Greenland). At most, it offers more compelling evidence of the US’s abdication of its role as a principled interlocutor in global conflicts. After affording Mr Putin a lavish welcome, including a red